The Walking Dead: Choices Matter
by Frost141
Summary: Clementine and AJ weren't alone for two years after the MacCaroll Ranch incident. Along the way, they met an experienced fighter, leader, and survivor. With his help, their chances for survival increased. But with the impending dangers looming in. How will this person affect their chances, when every choice matters.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: The Walking Dead Seires is NOT my work, it is owned by TellTale. All rights, commendation and acknowledgement goes to them.**

**However, "Derek Brooks" is my own fictional character and apparently the only thing i own in this story.**

**Chapter 1**

The rumbling sounds of the car echoed, Clementine stared at the road, wondering what to do next. Two years of scavenging, two years of survival, two years of staying alive. It was hard for her and AJ. Whenever they had a chance to stay and settle, walkers told them otherwise. She's sick and tired of running, AJ is too. She knows that but unless she has a better plan (or an actual plan). This is all she can do for now.

While thinking for her next destination, her train of thought was interrupted by a yawn beside her. She glanced to the person beside her, Derek Brooks, A boy, not older than 20. His spiky, short, deep dark black hair gave him a clean view of his angled face. His ocean-blue eyes, still sleepy just from waking up. His well-built muscles clung on his clothes in every move.

He is wearing a black hoodie with bandoliers strapped around his chest, black tactical gloves, black worn-out combat pants, and military-issue combat boots. More or less, each and every single clothing he wore is mostly composed of black.

Clementine met him after she got back to her and AJ's makeshift safehouse from a scavenging run, he was interacting with AJ, acting as if there was nothing wrong in the world. Long story short, they decided to stick together.

"Oh man. Morning already?" The Derek asked, scratching his head furiously.

"Good morning, Derek." Clementine laughed softly at him. Derek groaned and rubbed both of his shoulders and twisted his neck around a little.

"Ugh. My back hurts." Derek groaned out in slight pain.

"You sound like an old man." Clementine said, chuckling at his demise. Derek gave her a pointed look and proceeded to stretch out his sore muscles as much as he can despite the cramped conditions.

"I'm not that old…. Maybe. Where are we now?" Derek looked around the car and saw the rich forest and vegetation around. Clementine shrugged at him and focused back on the road.

Derek rolled his eyes and sighed, he rummages around his seat for his rucksack. Finding it on the floor, he picked it up and proceeds to take in inventory.

'_Machete, throwing knives, two rolls of duct tape, some nails, water. Water?' _He grabbed the water bottle and gave it a few experimental swirls.

'_Not much.' _ He puts the bottle back in the pack. Noticing not much food left, he shook his head in disapproval.

"Tsk. We're running out of food. This is all that's left from my rations." He opened his hands, revealing a single canned food, an apple, and a granola bar, or what appears to be a granola bar. "We can't keep this up. We need to find food." Putting back the contents, Derek put his hand on his face, and leaned towards the window and stared outside, frustration building up. Clementine's eyes darkened by the news, she furrowed her eyebrows, thinking for a solution. She sighs, feeling suddenly tired.

"We'll find a way. Just like we always do, remember?" Clementine finally said. Derek hummed in response. Clementine looks at him in worry, before focusing back on the road, not wanting to get into any accidents.

'_Not again.' _She thought bitterly, remembering the final separation between her and Kenny.

In the corner of the rear-view mirror, she saw AJ slowly waking up. He groaned awake, scratching his head a little.

"Morning, goofball." Clementine greets, smiling a little. Derek perked up a little, but maintained his focus on the window. AJ groaned in annoyance from the backseat of the car.

"It's not goofball. It's Alvin Junior…" AJ protested, slightly pouting from his baby name.

"What?" Clementine mocked surprise. "I thought you liked goofball." Derek chuckled and shook his head in amusement.

"Come on, who in the right mind, likes to be called goofball?" He said amusingly, turning his head from the window to look at Clementine, AJ agreed to the statement and nodded wholeheartedly.

"Hey! It's not that bad." Clementine protested. "Besides, I like goofball." She finished with a soft smile.

"Your kid, your rules I suppose." Derek chuckled.

AJ suddenly groans and holds his stomach. Derek, showing concern to the kid, turned around.

"You okay kiddo?" AJ shook his head. "Hungry." He says, clutching his stomach.

Derek nodded his head in understanding and rummages through his rucksack for the apple. He grabbed the apple and tossed it to AJ.

"Eat up little buddy. I still got more for Clem and I but not much."

AJ happily munched through the apple, despite the staleness. An idea went up in Derek's head and opened the car's glovebox, revealing a small toy, Disco Broccoli.

"Hey kid! Munching your daily fibers, now are you? Well, good for you!" Derek mimicked, although it was horribly failing, AJ still laughed soundly, earning a smile from Derek and reassuring Clementine. Derek grabbed the granola bar from his pack, opened and offered it to Clementine.

"Want some?" Clementine smiled and gratefully accepted his offer.

"What about you?" AJ asked.

"I'll be fine kiddo." Derek said. A loud growling of the stomach told him otherwise though.

"Don't mind stopping for a few minutes?" Derek says meekly. AJ and Clementine laughed, despite Derek's meek attempts in shutting them up. Eventually he gave up and pouted slightly for being made fun of. He didn't mind though, as long as it's them.

_Few hours later _

Clementine parked the car outside on what seems to be a train station. There were piles of rubble and debris everywhere as well as derailed train compartments, blocking the road. Derek gets out of the car, craning his neck left and right, popping a few joints in the process.

"You know, any longer than that. I'm thinking we'll be stuck in that car forever." Derek groaned out as he stretched. AJ muttered under his breath.

"What?" Clementine gave AJ a pointed look. AJ seemed to be reluctant but eventually gave in to Clementine's stare.

"I hate the car. It's cramped, it's tiny, and it smells." AJ said in slight frustration. Clementine kneeled down to his height and put her hand on his shoulder

"Well, it's better than walking and faster too." She pointed out.

"She's right kiddo, even if I don't like it that much. It's still better than walking." Derek agreed. AJ sighed in disappointment, Clementine pats his head for reassurance and went to the trunk to get her gear.

Derek pulled out his machete from his pack and gave it a few practiced swings, he put it up to eye level to examine the sharpness. Nodding in approval, he did a few swings before relaxing it by his side.

"I'll scout ahead, you two stay here." Derek said in an authoritative tone.

Observing the scene ahead, he saw a small bell with a sign 'Ring this if friendly', Derek scoffed and walked forward. His eyes scrutinizing on any movement, his ears straining on any sound he can pick up, machete at the ready. He's trained for this, for years, he can handle this.

A walker groan alerted him, it walked out of cover and slowly approached him. He turns his attention to the walker, its arms reaching out at him, eager to rip his guts out. Derek swings his machete across the walker's neck, decapitating it, and crushed its skull in one stomp for good measure. Derek stopped to observe the surroundings, checking for anything that can be a threat. Finding no other threats, he relaxed but kept his sword-arm at the ready. He signaled for Clementine and AJ that the coast is clear.

Clementine wandered around outside first, to see if there's anything useful. She stumbled upon a water reservoir, opening it revealed discolored water, the smell was horrible and there were a few flies flying around.

'_Nope.'_ She thought to herself, shutting the reservoir, shuddering at the sight and smell.

To her right, she saw a vegetable garden, a few crops laid about but none bore fruit.

"Whatever grew here is long gone." Clementine said absentmindedly, staring at the dead garden. Derek walked up beside her, nodding in agreement on her observation.

"Probably some corn judging at those stalks. Must be nice to have something fresh eaten once in a while." Derek said, AJ nodded in agreement.

Clementine wandered some more and saw an old, worn-out, tire swing attached to a branch of a tree. Nostalgia washed over her, as memories of her and Lee flashed into mind.

"What's this?" AJ said, looking at the tire swing with curiosity.

"It's a tire swing." Derek said, examining the robust structure of the swing. He pushed it a little, seeing it to be in working condition.

"What does it do?" AJ asked.

"Well, you sit on it and someone will push you to go really high up. It's fun." Clementine said, reminiscing back when Lee pushed her on a tire swing, years before, back at the farm whose name slipped through her mind.

'_Those were crazy times. I miss you Lee…'_ Clementine thought sadly, remembering her past guardian and father figure.

"I wanna try it! But only after we check this place." AJ added.

Derek nodded in approval and went back to keeping an eye out. AJ stayed by the swing, observing it with utmost curiosity while Clementine wandered towards the side of the house, seeing a skull of a deer.

"Wow, this is cool." She said to no one in particular, she then pockets it for safekeeping. Unfortunately, nothing viable for use is left outside. Clementine sighs in disappointment and walks back to Derek. He notices her disappointment and huffs in frustration.

"You two should look around inside and see if there's something we can use. I'll check in with you after I do a perimeter sweep." Clementine and AJ nodded in agreement.

Clementine walks up toward the door and mentally prepares herself, she turns back to AJ and made sure he's prepared as well.

"AJ, remember what I told you when in new places? Always…" Clementine said, drawing out the 's'.

"…Look for a way out."

"Look for a way out." AJ said, feeling proud of himself. Clementine smiled softly and nodded in approval. She tried the doorknob first, finding it locked. She rummages for her crowbar from her backpack and jammed it to the side of the door. With ease, she managed to pry open the door, and the two went inside, slowly. They scanned their surroundings, finding inside to be messy, some furniture is strewn across the room, broken glass is laid down on the floor, as well as two walkers tied up to a chair, looking at the window, they're not a threat but they kept their guard up.

"A way out." AJ said, pointing at the door where they came in.

"Good job." Clementine nodded in approval.

Inside, it seemed to be abandoned for a long time, a lot of dust were gathered on the tables and floors, as well as formation of cobwebs at corner of the room. They proceed to look for anything useful. Clementine managed to find some beans from the table and put it in her sack. Looking around, there were not much to begin with. Just some table scraps as well as spoiled food. However, her curiosity rose when she saw another room, blocked by a solid, metal security door. She walked up the security door and tried the knob.

"Locked. Of course, it's not that easy." She muttered in annoyance. She took a step back and examined the door.

'_Door's too hard, can't break it. Even if I did, that would make a lot of noise. '_

She huffs in annoyance, however, she observed a small counter, beside the security door, that could fit in a person. Looking inside, though, was visibly dark and there were no guarantees that nothing could be there on the other side.

'_It's too small for me but not for AJ.'_ She thought, but she shook her head, getting rid of the terrible idea.

'_No. It's too dark in there, and I can't let anything happen to AJ.'_

She went back to the walker couple, they tried to reach for her but to no avail, beneath them was a letter, and a bottle of poison. Clementine picked up and read the suicide note:

_To anyone who reads this:_

_ Please leave us alone. We wanted it to be like this._

Clementine frowned, but sounds of jiggling keys got her attention and saw a keyring on the male walker's pants. Keeping a close eye on the walker, she tries to reach for the keys but the walker aggressively moved forward, it's jaws came too close for her liking.

"Ahh!" Clementine pulled back on reflex. Her heart raced on her chest and her breathing quickened.

'_Guess I can't do that then.'_

The walker moaned as it reached for her. Suddenly a large machete imbedded itself on the side of its skull, its arms went limp and stopped groaning. The female walker turned its head to its counterpart only to receive a knife to its skull. Killing it in the process.

Clementine's eyes widened on the scene before her, Derek pulled out his knife and machete from its respective victims. He wiped his knife clean before sheathing it, he used the dead walker's garments to clean his machete, after he was done, he relaxed it by his right hand.

"Sorry, didn't mean to scare you." Derek said, looking at her apologetically.

Clementine looked at the walker couple apologetically, shook her head, and grabbed the keys. Derek rose his eyebrow on her strange behavior before shaking his head, dismissing it. Clementine used the keys to open the security door and went inside.

She gave it a quick look around, checking for any sounds or movements. Fortunately, there were none. _'No walkers. Good.'_ She thought. AJ went in after her followed by Derek.

Derek looked around the room, looking for anything he can use. His eyes were drawn by two rolls of duct tape, lying around the table.

"Now this is all I need." He said contently.

"Are you done?" Clementine asked. Derek nodded in approval and went back to hang out by the door. AJ looked around and smiled

"Can we stay here?" AJ asked hopefully. Clementine's face dropped. Knowing all too well that they can't stay, even if she wanted to. Derek heard what he said and looked at AJ in surprise, before looking down in guilt. When he looked back, he saw Clementine looking at him for advice, he looked between AJ and her with a sad face and shook his head in disapproval. There were just way too many factors that can affect the probability of staying, factors that they can't risk.

AJ frowned. "But there's no one here…. No one's ever anywhere… Just monsters." he said sadly.

Clementine walked to him slowly and put her arm on his shoulder. "There's me though, and Derek too. We'll stay with you forever, as much as you want." AJ looked up at her hopefully but his smile was easily replaced with a frown.

"You know that's not true." Clementine's face was riddled with guilt after he said that. She knew it was all too true. She can't stay around forever to watch over him. If she can't guarantee her own safety then how much more can she guarantee the life of AJ's? These are the type of questions that continued to haunt her every single day ever since she took in AJ.

But…..

She looked behind, where Derek was silently observing them, he rose both of his eyebrows in acknowledgement. Ever since she met Derek, their chances of surviving increased. She knew that, AJ knows that, and especially Derek. Memories of her and AJ surviving alone was terrifying, and every mistake could be their last.

Being around with Derek, around a guy who would risk his own life to protect the both of them, made them feel safer. She welcomed it with open-arms, (not that she would say that out loud). However, she knew that one day he'll leave, and she always hoped that it would not be too soon. Not until they can find themselves a place to call home. For her and AJ's sake.

"Hey AJ, look here." Derek called out, opening his hand, revealing two shining cartridges. That was enough to snap AJ from his reverie and gladly accepted the two cartridges. Fortunately, it was compatible for his revolver, and he proceeded to chamber it inside.

Clementine silently thanked Derek for taking AJ's mind off things, and mentally reminded herself to pay him back. She glanced at AJ's gun, suddenly remembering a few rules to remember.

"AJ. Remember what we said?" Clementine asked sternly. AJ sighed and thought for a while. He furrowed his eyebrows in concentration.

"Always…." Clementine draws out the 's'.

"…. Aim for the head."

"Aim for the head." AJ said.

"I knew that."

"I know you do." Clementine smiled proudly at him.

"Alright, let's wrap it up. Unless there's something else is in here, we're leaving. Don't wanna hold up here till dawn." Derek said, glancing outside the window every now and then.

Clementine sighed, then nodded. There was no point in staying. They need to keep moving and find food or else they'll starve. Just as she was about to leave the room, AJ tugged on her shirt, prompting Clementine to give him her attention.

"Look." AJ said, pointing out at the hidden hatch underneath the bed. Derek and Clementine were surprised by the revelation but did not dare to celebrate just yet. Who knows what's behind that.

Derek pushed the bed away to give space. Both of the young adults stared at the hatch with apprehension. Derek balled his fists and grabbed at the handles. He slowly lifted the door revealing perfectly preserved food underneath. Dozens of preserved foods that can last them for days, weeks even, or months if they ration it. Derek let out a sound of disbelief, Clementine stared in amazement, and AJ looked at the food in excitement.

But their hopes were quickly washed away as a fragmentation grenade rolled into view.

"CLEM!" Yelled out with panic on his voice. Derek acted on reflex, quickly and aggressively closing the hatch door and dove to the ground, grabbing AJ and Clementine along with.

*BOOM*

A loud explosion echoed throughout the room. Derek's ears were ringing as the close proximity of the explosion hurt his ears, the same could be said to the other two. Derek shook his head to clear out the sound, and slowly but surely it went away.

"Clementine! AJ!" He looked around in panic, looking for the two. Fortunately, they were safe and unharmed, with the exception of their ringing ears. Derek sighed in relief and hugged the two of them tightly.

Clementine was surprised by the action but nonetheless welcomed it and hugged back. AJ shakily hugged Derek, facing the near-death action up close, took its toll on him. The hug went longer than it should but neither protested.

Suddenly, realization dawned in on all of them. Derek pulled back, realizing and fearing what comes after this.

"Shit."

**A/N: I wanted to practice writing. I love writing, a lot, but it depends on what i'm writing at. The telltale series, The Walking Dead, is a huge impact for me. The characters, story. They were S-Tier. Sadly though, the way they executed the mechanics were bad. In which case some choices don't even matter. I plan to change that, i'll "try" to change some stuff in the story as I go but not too much.  
**

**Also, to the person who's reading this. You're awesome, make sure to eat three times a day and don't worry too much. Gives ya the wrinkles hehe.**

**Updates is planned to be every week, however not guaranteed. Thank you and have a great day.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: The Walking Dead Series is NOT my work. It is owned by TellTale, all rights, commendation and acknowledgement goes to them.**

**However, "Derek Brooks" is my own fictional character and apparently the only thing I own in this story.**

**Chapter 2**

Derek aggressively kicked the door open, prompting Clementine and AJ to rush out. Tens, maybe hundreds of walkers heard the loud explosion, not to mention they would be overrun soon if they stayed any longer. The clear option is for the trio to get away as far as possible.

Derek gazed upon the dozens of walkers, shambling about towards them. He gritted his teeth in anger. "We. Are. Leaving!" Derek yelled out, emphasizing each word. He carried AJ with his left arm, earning a disapproving grunt from the person in question.

Unfortunately, the way to the car was blocked by walkers. Clementine got her knife and assumed a fighting stance. Derek let go of AJ and motioned him and Clementine to stay back, he balled his fists and tightly clenched his machete as he faced the walkers. He mentally counted the number of walkers as well as what he should do.

'_Three. Aim for the neck. This'll be easy.' _He thought smugly.

The first walker tried to reach him, its arms outstretched, eager to claw his face and eat his guts out. With one hand, Derek swiped his machete at the walker's neck with all his might, feeling the flesh and bone ripping through easily, Derek smirked and with a grunt, he delivered a strong kick at the dead walker's chest, knocking it down and separating the head from its body.

The second walker followed and charged at him but Derek was faster and dodged to the left. Without missing a beat, he jabbed the hilt of his machete on the side of the walker's head, disorienting it. Not giving it any chances, using two hands, he brought down his machete downwards to the walker's skull, killing it.

However, it got stuck, Derek tried to remove his machete but the last walker charged absentmindedly from behind. Acting by reflex, he let go of his machete, ducked down and did a leg sweep against the walker, tripping it to a fall. Derek looked at the downed walker in disgust before stomping its head. Brains, blood, and bones scattered around, making a bloody mess to his boots and on the ground. He walked back to the walker that still had his machete and with a grunt, he managed to pull it out. He quickly examined it for any damages but nothing too severe, just a few chips and scratches.

Derek looked back and was surprised on seeing two walkers. Fortunately, Clementine handled it, one was already dead on the ground while the other was just recently stabbed in the skull. Using two hands, she grunted as she pulled out her knife from the walker's head.

Derek nodded at her in approval, suddenly more groans and moans of the undead arrived. Looking around, he noticed more and more are closing in.

"No time to waste. Let's go." He yelled out. Clementine nodded in agreement and the trio ran towards the car. Clementine opened the door, prompting AJ to get in. Derek vaulted over the hood, purposively knocking down the walker at the opposite side, making it roll down the hill. Derek reached for the passenger door but a walker's growl stopped him in his tracks.

It charged aggressively at him, its arms outstretched but Derek dodged in the right moment. Missing its intended target, it slammed to another walker, knocking both of them, as well as a few others, down in the process.

Just as he was about to open the door, a walker, missing its right arm, managed to sneak behind Derek, eager to take a bite at his neck, it was just a few inches away in achieving it until it made a fatal mistake, it moaned in hunger. With lightning-reflexes, Derek turned around just in time to stop the walker from biting him, using his right elbow as leverage against the walker's neck and using his left arm to hold off its arm. However, the walker's momentum carried just enough force to slam Derek between itself and the car, knocking his machete out from his hand.

At this distance, Derek got a good long look at the walker, its right eyeball falling out from its socket, dangling side-by-side, its rotting flesh, skin and bones, slowly fell apart from its face, and lastly, the smell was comparable to a sewer not cleaned up for decades. All in all, it wasn't a pretty sight, nor smell nice either.

"You are one ugly motherfucker!" Derek exclaimed out loud. As if the walker understood him, it growled in anger and got more aggressive. Derek struggled to keep its jaws away from his face.

"Agh! Fuck!" He exclaimed. Using all his might, Derek pushed away the walker, giving him a small distance between them but the walker is relentless and continued its charge. However, Derek anticipated this and weaved to the right, he grabbed the walker's back of the skull and slammed it hard on the car's roof, doing it three times for good measure, realizing it's dead, he let go, watched as the body went down like a sack of potatoes. Blood and bones splattered across the roof of the car, as well as a small dent where he hit the walker's head. Satisfied, he went to look after his machete but dozens upon dozens of walkers showed up, followed by their inhuman growls and moans. Gritting his teeth in anger, he went inside the car reluctantly.

"Let's get out of here!" Derek said half-angrily, half-hurriedly.

"The keys!" Clementine pointed at the walker, the keys jiggled side-by-side at its eye socket. Derek incredulously looked between the walker and her, his mouth opens ajar.

"You know what? Fuck it. We'll improvise." Derek exclaimed in frustration. A walker broke through Derek's windshield, scattering glass around his seat but Derek remained unflinching, still looking at Clementine, he nonchalantly elbowed it in the face, knocking the walker out.

Suddenly, the window behind the car broke, glass scattered everywhere and one walker managed to crawl inside, its arms reaching at AJ.

"Ahh!" AJ screamed in surprise and fear, he quickly moved to the front with Derek and Clementine, away from the walker. The walker moaned in hunger and attempted to reach them but Derek stabbed it in the head using his knife.

"Get this thing moving!" Derek said frustratingly noticing more and more walkers closing in.

Clementine grits her teeth in frustration, thinking quickly, she released the hand brake and shift the gear to neutral. Letting the walkers push the car, the sounds of flesh and metal impacting each other, followed by moans of hunger. Unfortunately, they were being pushed towards the steep hill downwards.

"I think this is the part where we fasten our seatbelts." Derek said, looking wide eyed at the incoming steep.

"Agreed." Clementine said, nodding in shocked agreement. She grabs her seatbelt and locked it in place.

"AJ, stick with me while I fasten our seatbelt." Derek said, as he wrapped the seatbelt around AJ and him.

The car moved slowly at first, then slowly gained speed going down. It wasn't long until the car started to move at a high speed. The trio were pushed back into their seats as the force was strong enough to push them to their seats. Derek covered AJ's head with his arms as he braced for impact, while Clementine tried her best to steer away from danger, turning left and right from incoming trees but all went in vain as the car hit a rough patch. Combining the high speed, momentum, and the angle of impact. The car flipped violently, flying a few feet from the ground before crashing down the end of slope with a large crash.

"Ugh…." Derek groaned out in pain. He opened his eyes, his vision still blurry, he blinked to regain his sight and was surprised by the unfamiliar view. He blinked his eyes again, and again, only to realize that the unfamiliarity is just because the car is upside down. Realization dawned on him, he looked down and saw AJ, still attached with him, safe but unconscious, he sighs in relief when he noticed there were no wounds. He glanced towards Clementine, who was unmoving and unresponsive.

"Clem." He called out, only to receive no response. Just as he's about to call out again, he noticed the blood dripping on the side of her head. His blood went cold, as he stared at the unmoving body.

'_No…' _He thought, unbelieving. _'She can't be dead. She can't be!' _Not believing for a second that the strongest, bravest, and cutest girl she ever met is dead. Just as his thoughts were about to go wild. Clementine coughed roughly, indicating that she's just injured but alive. Derek let out a sigh of relief, however, they're still not out of the woods yet.

"Clem. You okay?" Derek asked in concern. However, Clementine didn't respond, only mindlessly move her head left and right, moaning in pain all the while.

'_Concussion. She must be disoriented.'_ Derek thought in concern. Holding AJ close, he unfastened his seatbelt and landed on the ground ungracefully, followed by a loud thud.

"Oof." Derek coughed out. Fortunately, AJ was safe from impact. He settled AJ aside and pulled out his knife to cut Clementine loose. Suddenly, he felt something grab his leg, he looked behind in alarm but it was too late as it pulled him out of the car through the window.

Derek desperately grabbed anything to stop himself but to no avail. Suddenly he stopped, turning around, he saw a disfigured walker eager to take a bite out his leg. Derek kicked it in the face but the walker merely shook it off and went for the bite. Pulling his leg back for more force, he strikes the walker's head, letting him go in the process.

Derek got up quickly and dashed to the downed walker and stomped his foot down on its head, smashing its head. Blood and gore littered the ground, but he didn't pay any attention to it. Huffing in exhaustion, he went back to get Clementine out, however stopped when he heard growls from behind. Several more walkers came in, Derek mentally counted and took note for any weakness.

'_Five of them. Wide apart from each other. Skin and bones, weaker types.' _he unconsciously went for his knife at his bandoliers but was surprised when he felt nothing. _'Crap! Must've dropped it inside the car. Gotta make this quick!' _Derek thought in alarm, he assumed a fighting stance as the nearest walker charged at him. Acting quickly, he dodged right and backed off to gain more distance between him and the group.

Derek looked around to find anything useful, his eyes landed on a thick branch on the ground not too far from him. He rushed towards it, grabbing the makeshift weapon, and tightened his grip on it.

The nearest walker charged at him, he positioned his arms as if he was playing baseball, and swung his weapon against the walker's head. Blood and gore flew, as well as several pieces of wood, as the walker dropped to the ground, dead. Unfortunately, the branch broke on impact. Derek looked at the remaining piece of wood left on his right hand.

"Shit." He muttered in anger. Another walker charged at him, arms outstretched, Derek smacked away its right arm to make space, dashed into the walker's space and grabbed the walker's shoulder with his left hand for leverage and impaled the piece of wood to the walker's eye socket. Blood spurted on him but he continued to drive the piece violently, as the walker went limp, he shoved it off him.

Noticing the three walkers left, Derek readied himself again. With no weapon and nowhere to run, he's left to the only option he can think of. Fighting barehanded. He craned his neck, feeling the satisfying pops and glared at the three walkers with fierce determination.

The first one charged at him, he raised his right leg, the knee touching to his chest, and gave the walker a firm, solid kick to the chest. Dust and blood spurted on impact, Derek felt a few bones break upon impact, the walker desperately tried to regain balance but failed, falling back and landing on its back, temporarily immobilized.

Another one charged at him its arms outstretched. Derek dodged to the left and grabbed the walker's right arm, and neck. Then he rotated his whole body, still grabbing the walker, and used it as a human battering ram and slammed it to the other one. The two walkers fell down with a thud, not giving them a chance to recover, Derek dashed towards the walkers and stomped his foot down hard, killing one. He then turned his attention to the other one and did the same treatment but it was too weak.

Grunting, he mustered whatever strength he has left and brought his foot down, smashing the walker's skull as well as spurting blood, bones and gore everywhere. Derek heaved in exhaustion, putting his hands to his knees and heaved heavily.

"That…. Was…. Close…." Panting each word out. An inhuman growl got his attention, snapping in attention, he noticed the walker he kicked down earlier slowly got up. He weakly raised his arms in defense.

The walker turned its head at him and slowly walked. However, it was short lived when an arrow hit the side of its head, its head violently jerked to the side, blood spurting on impact. Then it dropped down like a bag of potatoes.

Confused, Derek attempted to look for the source base on its trajectory, only to see a white Caucasian-American male with blond hair and weird hair style, wielding a modern bow and arrow its arrow nocked, but thankfully not aimed at him. He was followed by two more people, wielding weapons of their own. One was a black African-American male with black hair styled into dreadlocks. He's wielding what appears to be a table leg with nails at the edge of it. The last one was also a white Caucasian-American male, with long brown hair. He's holding up two small knives, in which he used to stab a nearby walker with.

"Hey you over there!" The one with blonde hair called out.

"We'll get you out. Just hold on!" The three of them started to get to work, killing walkers left and right. Derek snapped out of his trance and jogged back to the car. Grabbing his knife, which he dropped earlier, and cut Clementine's seatbelt.

Unfortunately, he forgot to hold her up, as the last fabric of the belt was torn. She fell down, like a heap of rocks, hard to the ground.

"AHH!" Clementine shrieked in pain upon impact to the ground, Derek flinched unconsciously as he saw her fall, moaning in pain.

"Oops. Sorry." Derek whispered in apology, then he shook his head in disappointment to himself. He sheathed his knife, positioned her upright and slowly dragged her out of the car, then went back to get AJ as well, who was safe and unharmed all the while.

"Need help?" Derek looked beside him and saw the guy with dreadlocks, motioning to Clementine and AJ. Derek nodded and handed him AJ, unbeknownst to him, the guy had a brief look of disappointment but accepted AJ nonetheless.

"Mitch!" The African-American called out, the one who was wielding two knives turned in attention, the guy handed him his weapon, the table leg, and proceeded to carry AJ with both hands.

Derek lifted Clementine up and positioned her for a fireman carry, he grunted as he lifts her over his shoulder.

'_Either I'm getting weaker or she's heavier than I remember.'_ Derek thought.

"Let's get out of here!" The guy with the bow and arrow called out, as he and 'Mitch' got out, followed by Derek and the African-American.

_Few minutes later _

The group made distance between them and the crash, looking around there were no visible walkers nearby, huffing in exhaustion they mentally agreed to take a break first. The guy carrying AJ, noticed he was still asleep/unconscious, he slowly settled him down to a nearby tree to take a break as well.

Derek settled Clementine down, still unconscious, on a nearby stump. He examined her from head to toe and noticed there's a small gash by the side of her head. He unconsciously went for his pack only to realize it's not there. Realization dawned on him, he forgot to bring their stuff.

"Shit." He muttered quietly, luckily no one heard him. Sighing, he opened his bandoliers revealing first-aid supplies.

"Handy." The blond-haired guy commented. Derek looked at him in surprise but nodded nonetheless.

'_It's getting dark out._' Derek noticed, as the sun slowly sets out at the horizon and less light is to be seen. He took out a few bandages, a bottle of peroxide, gauze, and some cotton. He doused the cotton with peroxide and carefully applied it on the wound. Clementine would flinch in pain at each contact but remained asleep. At the corner of his eye, the three rescuers looked at him with curiosity.

"Names?" Derek said simply, still tending to Clementine.

"What about you first?" A cocky, arrogant voice called out. Derek turned around and saw it was the knife-wielding guy. He looked at Derek suspiciously, sizing him up and down.

"Well hello Mitch." Derek said nonchalantly, earning him a surprised look from Mitch, seeing him surprised and unable to speak, Derek smirked to himself and went back to cleaning Clementine's wound. After he's done cleaning, he took some gauze and applied it on the wound, then grabbed the bandages and started to wrap the wound up.

Mitch shook his head from his trance and angrily glared at Derek's back, he took a step forward towards him but was stopped by the blond-haired guy, shaking his head and mouthed a 'no'. Mitch huffed in anger but reluctantly agreed.

"If we tell you, will you tell us yours?" The blond-haired guy demanded.

"Of course." Derek said nonchalantly, they were rather taken aback from the response but dismissed it right after.

"My names Marlon, the guy who helped you earlier is Louis, you already know Mitch." Marlon said, gesturing each respective person. Louis waved in hello while Mitch merely grunted in response.

Derek nodded in response, taking mental notes of who they are, what they look like as well as their weapon proficiencies.

'_Not gonna deny, they're good enough to fight off those walkers earlier, but still sloppy.' _Derek mentally critiqued.

After tying the bandage on Clementine's head, Derek nodded at his work. He stood up, dusted his hands on his pants and turned to them.

"The name's Derek, this one here is Clementine, the young boy is AJ." Derek introduced, gesturing to the unconscious Clementine and AJ.

"What happened back there?" Marlon asked, curiosity got the best of him.

"Not here, do you have somewhere to go to?" Derek asked.

Marlon thought for a moment, he looked between Louis and Mitch, having a mental conversation. Noticing no protests, Marlon nodded to himself.

"Yeah. It's not too far from here, we can take you there." Marlon said, gesturing with his head towards the deeper part of the forest.

"You're not gonna stab me and take my stuff, are you?" Derek asked, raising his eyebrow in concern.

"Only if you don't do the same." Marlon glared at Derek, as if daring him to try.

"I don't plan to." Derek looked at him unemotionally. Marlon only glared harder but gave up when he didn't even react. Marlon sighed and nodded to his two companions, Louis carried AJ with both hands while Derek carried Clementine, bridal style. The group walked towards their destination.

Several minutes past of silent walking and Louis's curiosity got the better of him.

"So…. Where've you guys been?" Louis asked.

"Everywhere." Derek said simply, his eyes fixated forward.

Louis rolled his eyes on that answer but didn't push for answers. The school came into view, Derek eyed the high walls, the makeshift tower, as well as the traps laid at the front.

"Cool." Derek commented.

"I know right?" Marlon said, he walked forward at the group,

"Welcome to Ericson's Boarding School for Troubled Youth." He said proudly, gesturing the place with his arms wide open.

Derek looked at the settlement, then at Marlon, he nodded in approval, earning a grin from Marlon.

"Where's the toilet?"

Some things just never get old.

**A/N:**

**Just realized this chapter has a LOT of action scenes, will our trio have a welcoming stay in Ericson's? Or will they end up the same as before. The story will tell…**

**So, I'm planning to finish this story until the end of season 4 episode 4. So, spoiler alert hahaha. Also, there will be some changes that will affect the storyline so watch out for those.**

**Finally, don't forget to leave a favorite, follow, and review as it helps me out a lot.**

**Thank you, and have a great day friend.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: The Walking Dead Series is NOT my work. It is owned by TellTale, all rights, commendation and acknowledgement goes to them.**

**However, "Derek Brooks" is my own fictional character and apparently the only thing I own in this story.**

**Chapter 3**

Night came as the group arrived at the school, sounds of the nocturnal creatures echoed throughout the forest. Marlon raised his right arm, then waved it from left to right towards the watchtower. The person who was guarding, noticed the gesture as well as the newcomers, he looked reluctant at first but still slid down the makeshift tower to open the gate. Marlon looked back at the group then motioned with his head to follow him.

As they entered, the person on guard greeted them with a small nod but it was clear he was more interested with the newcomers.

"Hey Willy. Anything happened while we we're out?" Marlon asked.

Willy shook his head 'no', a kid with messy orange hair, and bucktooth teeth.

"Good job." Marlon nodded at Willy. "I'm gonna go and tell everyone about the newcomers first. I'll be back." He slowly walked away, followed by Mitch but suddenly turned around, as if forgetting something.

"And don't do anything stupid!" Marlon added as he walked way.

Willy unconsciously snorted at the comment, in the corner of his eye, he saw Derek silently observing their courtyard with slight interest. He turned his head to get a good view at him. He looked at his apparel with curiosity, which was obviously distinct from the ones you see every day, then the person he was carrying. He looked at Clementine in concern but never made a comment about it.

Derek noticed him staring, he turned his head and raised his eyebrow at him in question, not knowing what he wants.

Willy continued to stare at Derek, who started to get a little uncomfortable from all the staring when suddenly, Louis stepped in between them.

"Dude. Stop. Has anyone told you that you look creepy when you do that?" Louis said to Willy jokingly.

"You're creepy!" Willy said indignantly, pointing his finger at Louis.

"Just get back to the tower." Louis sighed, rubbing his forehead with his index finger and thumb.

Derek noticed that he's not holding AJ anymore, he looked around in alarm, hoping to find the boy. Louis saw his shocked expression and put out his hands in front of him.

"Relax! Relax! I just settled him down there." He pointed at a nearby chair, where AJ snoozed peacefully. Derek relaxed a bit, then slightly glared at Louis, who merely avoided his gaze.

Derek sighed. "Mind helping me look for a place to settle her down then?" He asked, gesturing to the still unconscious Clementine on his arms. His arms straining by the prolonged carrying.

"Uhhh." Louis looked around for a possible place to settle her down. His eyes landed on a park bench not too farm from them.

"Over here." Louis slowly picked AJ up, then guided Derek towards the park bench.

Derek followed Louis towards the bench, as he walked, he noticed Marlon and few more other people discussing with each other. He noticed that most of the people gathered are younger than he thought. Heck, there's a small kid there, which begs him the question.

'_Where's the adults?'_ He thought suspiciously.

"It's not first-class but it will do." Louis joked as he slowly placed AJ down, careful not to disturb his sleep.

"I don't mind." Derek said, as he slowly placed Clementine down, minding the injury and being extra careful to not make things worse. After placing the two down, Derek and Louis quietly settled on the other side of the bench.

Derek hissed in pain, as his muscles screamed in agony from all the carrying. As if lightning struck his arms, leaving his arms shaking. He rubbed both his arms in a soothing manner, to alleviate the pain.

"Hey Louis." Louis turned his head in attention. "Who's in charge here?" Derek asked, still rubbing his arms to try and alleviate the pain.

"That would be my best buddy Marlon over there." He said, pointing at Marlon, who was still discussing with the other kids.

Derek stopped what he was doing and looked at Marlon then back to Louis. "You're kidding me, right?" looking at him in disbelief.

"Nah, I'm just messing with you. I'm the one in charge here." He jabbed a thumb to his puffed-out chest to emphasize. He waited for Derek to get the joke but he merely blinks at him in anticipation.

"Okay..." Louis muttered to himself awkwardly. Derek waited for his response, an explanation on what he said earlier.

Eventually, Louis got the message and sighed to himself. "It's true. Marlon's the one in charge here. Since it's just us kids."

"'Just us kids?' You mean there's no adults around?" Derek asked, perplexed by the information.

"Yeah." Louis solemnly nodded. Derek took a small breath. He knew that kind of feeling. Abandoned, unwanted, left to fend for himself. It's the kind of feeling that makes him sick to the stomach

"When did that happen?" Derek asked.

Louis exhaled, visibly uncomfortable about the subject. "I-uhh… Well.." He stuttered.

Derek put his hand up, motioning him to stop. "I get it. It's a touchy subject. Still. I'm surprised that you kids managed to live this long though."

"Not everyone but yeah..." Louis sadly agreed.

On the corner of their eye, they noticed Marlon finished discussing with the group and is heading towards them. Louis looked glad seeing him while Derek tensed slightly for what he was about to say.

"I talked with the other kids. They're cool with you staying here." Marlon said.

Derek let out a breath he didn't realize holding.

"We'll have all the time for introductions tomorrow. You guys should rest for now. You deserve it." Marlon said.

"Yeah. That's a good idea. Thanks Marlon." Derek nodded at him, Marlon smiled proudly at the comment.

"Here. I'll show you where you'll be staying." He motioned with his head to follow.

'_Back to carrying I guess.'_ Derek's sarcastically thought.

Derek and Louis followed Marlon towards their destination, carrying their respective persons. Marlon opened the doors that leads towards the dormitory as the doors opened, they were greeted by a graffiti-strewn hallway

Derek gazed upon the hallway, seeing all different kinds of questionable vandalism. Some were just drawings, a doodle here and there, a penis. There were also writings on the walls, he mentally noted each writing on the wall.

'_Ericson Forever!' _

'_FREEDOM!'_

'_No more adults, no more rulez.'_

'_I fucked a walker.'_

'_Commu- Wait. What?' _Derek took a double-take as he looked at the last graffiti, his eyes widened in disbelief and disgust, his face twisted as he looked at the writing. He turned his head and looked at Louis, motioning his head towards the writing.

"Don't ask dude." Louis said, also disgusted as he saw the writing. The two mentally agreed to never talk about it again.

The group continued to walk until Marlon stopped in front of a room and opened the door.

'_201.' _Derek mentally noted. He let Marlon get inside first before following behind him.

The room contained two bunk beds, one on the right, and one on the left. The left bunk bed was missing a bed on the top. A barricaded window was placed in the middle of the room between the two beds, a nightstand directly below it. A small table is found on the right side of the wall with a few items on top of it, as well as a small chair directly in front of it.

It was clear that the room was abandoned for a while. There are cobwebs strewn at the corner of the room, the dusts are thick enough to imprint footprints as well as making it harder to breath in. And a few critters are scattered near the corners.

'_Just hope there's no spiders…. Or cockroaches.'_ Derek shivered at the thought.

He walked up towards the left bunk, and slowly placed Clementine on the bed. He turned around to take AJ from Louis, only to see that he already placed him on the other bed.

"Thanks." Derek smiled in gratitude.

"No problem my man." Louis returned the gesture by grinning at him.

Marlon stood beside Louis, getting Derek's attention towards him.

"This is where you'll be staying for a while. We'll talk in the morning about making this permanent." Marlon said. "If you want of course." He added as an afterthought.

"I'm not the one who decides that. Believe it or not, she's the boss." Derek jabbed his thumb behind him, towards the sleeping Clementine.

"Really?" Marlon's eyes widened in surprise. "I thought you're the one in charge." He continued.

Derek shook his head in disagreement. "I'm just a…. Bodyguard." He hesitantly said.

Marlon noticed his hesitation but decided not to question it any further. "Okay… We can talk more in the morning. You guys should rest for now. Come on Louis." The two went out of the room and silently closed the door behind them.

As the door closed, Derek heaved in exhaustion. The day's events come crashing to him. Fatigue rolled over his body as his eyes went heavy and his body ached in pain. He pulled the chair from the table and sat on it. Silently cursing when it creaked loudly by the sudden weight.

Alone with his thoughts, he replayed the events of what happened today. Almost blown up by a grenade, walkers surrounded them and almost ate him. Twice. The car crashed, and their stuff is gone.

"Well, maybe not all of them." He muttered to himself, looking down at his knife and bandolier still attached to his chest.

However, their loss was evident. Derek growled in frustration and anger, he placed his hands on his face to try and calm himself down. He exhaled through his hands, and after a few moments of silence, he brought his hands down, feeling better than before. Still pissed, but at least he calmed down.

"At least we're still alive." He looked towards the sleeping Clementine and AJ, he smiled softly, knowing they're alive and alright. For the most part.

"Inventory check I suppose." He muttered, he detached his bandoliers and placed it on top of the table. Opening each pocket and empty out its contents to the table.

Some rocks, a bottle of peroxide, and a small box of something Derek didn't recognize laid down the table.

'_Rocks for diversion.' _He grabbed a handful of rocks into his hand and shook it within his hand, feeling the solid object moving around in his hand. He placed it down afterwards and grabbed the bottle of peroxide.

'_Not much left.' _He thought as he gave it a few experimental swirls.

'_Shit. Don't have much supplies left.'_ He clicked his tongue in disappointment, as he realized he ran out of bandages and gauze. The small box caught his attention, he grabbed the box and turned it around, his eyes widened when he realized it's a small pack of cigarettes.

'_Better not let AJ see this'_ He thought as he pocketed the small box of cigarettes into his pants. Seeing that's all he has left, Derek groaned in disapproval.

"Let's just hope our stuff is still intact." He muttered to himself. Suddenly he yawned loudly, feeling tired. He glanced at the open spot on top of AJ's bed and started to make his way towards it. As he started to climb the ladder, he flinched when it made a metallic, squeaky sound as he stepped on it. He looked behind, checking if he woke either of the two. Seeing they were still sound asleep, he continued until he reached to the top.

He laid down, feeling the warm, soft bed. It smelled a little musky and produced dust when he laid down but he didn't care. He slowly closed his and let sleep take him.

_**Dream sequence**_

_Derek opened his eyes only to see pure darkness. A void. He sat upright, visibly confused by the situation. The silence was deafening and the dark only solidifies his anxiety on the possible forces lurking within. He stood up from his position and took a step forward, only to regret it when his footstep echoed throughout the area. He cringed as the noise it emitted was too loud for him to bear. Taking another step, the result stayed the same._

_Derek steeled himself however, he pressed on through the noise. Taking slow steps, trying not to mind the noises it makes. As he continued to walk forward, the noises started to dull down until he can barely hear it. _

_He tried to look around, to see if there was anything out there, however his eyes barely saw anything in the dark. Suddenly, while he was busy looking around, Derek collided himself on something hard in front of him. He rubbed his forehead unconsciously only to feel nothing. No pain. _

_He looked at the thing that hit him, only to realize it was a door. It was a plain white door, nothing out of the ordinary but considering the circumstances, it was anything but._

"_What the fuck? Did not see this before." Derek said, his heartbeat rose as he stared the door down. He didn't know why, but he was afraid to open it. Swallowing his fears, he slowly opened the door, only to see a brick wall._

"_Oh wow. A classic." He muttered in annoyance, just as he was about to close the door, a dark hand stopped it followed by several other hands. _

"_Shit!" He cursed in alarm, he pushed the door, trying to close it. The hands were relentless, clawing, pushing, and wildly flaying, trying to get out. Derek desperately pushed back against the 'thing', its attacks were getting stronger and stronger. _

_Just as he was about to lose all hope, something, more like someone, helped him push back against the 'thing'. With their help, Derek managed to close the door with a loud thud. _

_The thing continued to beat the door down hard, then its efforts were getting weaker and weaker until it went away but not before leaving a chilling message._

"_Know who you are..." Derek shivered by its voice. What did it mean by that? _

"_Are you okay mister?" A child-like voice called out in front of him, halting his train of thought. Derek looked up and was surprised to see a young boy, probably not older than five. He has black hair, dark eyes, and appears to be holding a stuffed dinosaur. He stood not too far from Derek._

_Derek looked behind the boy, then around, seeing no one else, his speculation was right._

'_This is the one who helped me?' he thought. 'Was expecting someone…. Bigger.' He added._

_Seeing the kid was waiting for a response, he snapped from his trance and stood up. "Yeah. I'm fine." he said, dusting himself. He looked up then nodded at the kid. "What's your name kid?" he asked._

_The kid blinked at him then looked down, thinking hard. Suddenly he looked up, surprising Derek by the sudden speed. "I don't remember." The kid simply said._

_Derek looked at the kid in disbelief, then he shook his head, deciding to not to comment on it. _

"_Do you want to play with me?" The kid asked, he looked at Derek hopefully, holding the stuffed dinosaur with his two hands._

_Derek looked at the kid's hopeful eyes, then he looked around the void of eternal darkness._

"_Why not." He said, smiling a little at the kid. The kid, wore a huge smile, jumping up and down. "But first!" he added, holding his index finger up. The kid stopped in his tracks to listen. "I want to know the name of your friend here." He gestured at the stuffed dinosaur in hands._

_The kid smiled and excitedly presented the toy in front of him. "His name is Dino and he's a brachiosaurus." A sharp pain occurred in Derek's chest but it went away as soon as it came. Deciding it was just coincidence, he played it off. _

_Remembering the kid's ability to pronounce such a word, Derek smirked at him, impressed that he was able to say that word easily at a young age. He crouched down to his level._

"_Alright then. What do you want to play?" _

_**Dream sequence end**_

Derek woke up from his sleep then glanced towards the window. It was still dark out but he can tell it was morning. Years of surviving outside, years of camping, he learned a thing or two on how to tell time without a clock. He slowly went down the ladder then went to the table to pack his gear, while putting the contents towards their respective pockets, his mind kept asking one thing.

"Who was that kid?" He muttered.

**AN: Sorry for the delayed chapter! Took me a long while, figuring out the characteristics of the characters. Then there's school work since I'm graduating this month. So, chapter updates may be delayed.**

**I decided to put some symbolism in there, plus points if you figured it out.**

**I also read your reviews. Thank you so much for your support. This is something that I can say an accomplishment for me and you helped me achieve that.**

**Also, this story ain't dead and it will be finished until the end. **

**Have a great day friend! Until the next chapter (Which is in development already)**


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